


A Silver Glow of Happiness

by Athenowl



Series: Marauders Fics [3]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Gen, Marauders Era (Harry Potter), No Angst, Self Confidence, and learning that they matter, it's a patronus fic!, it's the boys being happy, they are best friends, this is just pure happiness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-09
Updated: 2020-05-09
Packaged: 2021-03-03 01:26:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 3,048
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24096547
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Athenowl/pseuds/Athenowl
Summary: The first time each of the Marauders summons a corporeal Patronus and understands what it means to have a truly happy memory.
Series: Marauders Fics [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1737466
Comments: 6
Kudos: 72





	1. Moony

**Author's Note:**

> This is the third installment of my Marauders Fic series and I'm so hyped about it! I wrote 4 out of 5 chapters last night from 10 pm until one in the morning because I absolutely had to get this on paper. Thanks for all the support for Invenietus and Who Needs Hexes!

Defense Against the Dark Arts had a reputation for having the most hands-on, wands-out lessons, which cemented its place as many students’ favorite class and the bane of Remus Lupin’s existence. See, lots of people assumed Remus was the brains of the Marauders, and they wouldn’t be entirely incorrect: he was studious, the mastermind of plenty of mischief, and had an uncanny knack for not getting caught. Without him, the other three would have racked up at least twice as many detentions.

However, what James, Sirius, and Peter lacked in common sense they made up for in raw magical talent. Remus never resented them for it, since natural aptitude wasn’t something they could control, but having to work twice as hard just to stay on their level could be frustrating at best. Early in their friendship, he had chosen to master the groundwork spells and build from there so any time the other three dug themselves into a hole—literally or figuratively—by using complicated magic, he could _levicorpus_ them out at a moment’s notice. James’ brilliant Transfiguration and Sirius’ clever Charms were impressive, but there was something to be said for Remus’ ability to win duels with a well-placed _expelliarmus_ before his opponent could say a word.

The Patronus charm was a different story. Sure, Remus thought it would be neat to easily cast complicated spells like his friends, but it had never truly bothered him before. Yet when the announcement came out about fifth years learning to conjure Patronuses in Defense Against the Dark Arts and bone-deep _want_ buzzed in him, he decided to put his near-mulish stubbornness to work. Remus was going to cast the best Patronus Hogwarts had ever seen, and he wasn’t taking ‘no’ for an answer.

He started small by listing every happy memory he could think of before he went to bed, then moved on to ‘borrowing’ James’ Invisibility Cloak and sneaking into the Shrieking Shack on Wednesday nights. If he could conjure a Patronus in that nightmare house, he could conjure one anywhere.

Three weeks before the Patronus lesson, a gentle silver glow lit up the shack. Two weeks later, he could reliably summon a wispy white fog. Unfortunately, the progress stopped there, and Remus was practically shaking with nerves the morning of the lesson. The situation only got worse when James slid into his seat at breakfast, grinning madly. “I propose a bet.”

“I’m listening,” Sirius said, setting his toast down.

“I bet I’ll be the first of the four of us to summon a corporeal Patronus.” Maybe it was the self-assured gleam in James’ eye, or maybe it was the way Sirius and Peter immediately turned down his offer, but something sparked in Remus’ gut.

“Deal.”

James’ smile broadened. “You’re on, Moony. Winner gets a favor?”

“Winner gets a favor.” Remus shook his hand firmly with as much confidence as he could muster.

Four hours later, Remus could barely breathe. The desks in the Defense classroom had been pushed to the walls and the floor was cleared for the class of Gryffindors, all of whom looked as nervous as Remus felt as they found an open spot to attempt the charm. “Remember,” their newest professor said seriously as she paced the front of the classroom. “Your memory does not have to be completely happy, but it must be _strong_. On the count of three, raise your wands and clearly say, ‘ _expecto_ _patronum’_. Are you ready? One, two, three!”

“ _Expecto patronum_.” Remus kept his voice firm and thought of his first day at Hogwarts, when he stayed up all night talking with three boys who truly wanted to be his friends. A fizz of hope rose in his chest as his wand warmed and the fog began to flow out, but it disappeared when he saw the flash of determination in James’ eyes.

 _No_ , he thought. _I have to summon the damn thing before he does._ Remus squeezed his eyes shut, reached deep down, and _pulled_.

The responding memory was sharp and clear: he was laying in the hospital wing with Sirius tucked under one arm and James’ head on his shoulder as Peter stretched across his legs. His fresh wounds ached a bit, but he was laughing freely; they all were. They were inseparable, the best of friends. Golden happiness welled up inside him and he refused to let it fade. “ _Expecto patronum_!”

Something large and silver burst from his wand and leaped forward, throwing its head back in a howl as Remus stumbled from the force of the spell. Irritation twisted the memory for a half-second—really? A wolf?—then melted in an instant as it turned to look at him.

The timber wolf was _beautiful_. Its coat was thick and shone with ethereal light, and it was not afraid. It stared at Remus with proud eyes—there was nothing in this creature that reflected the feral nature of a werewolf. It was all the parts of Remus that only came out once a month to run through the forest with a stag, a dog, and a rat, and it was unapologetically magnificent.

“Well done, Mr. Lupin!” the professor exclaimed over his classmates’ cheers. Remus tore his eyes away from the wolf and saw James and Peter beaming at him from across the room as Sirius nearly bowled him over with a hug. A startled laugh escaped Remus’ mouth and he returned the embrace just as fiercely.

“You did it! Merlin, you did it!” Sirius shouted, his eyes bright with excitement. “How did you do that?”

“I don’t know, it just happened!” Remus yelled back. “I’ve been practicing for weeks, but it was so different this time.”

“Oi, Moony!” James called. “This favor won’t involve another hula skirt, will it?”

“We’ll just have to see, won’t we?” Remus smiled mischievously and James groaned.

“Back to work, boys,” the professor chided. “You marauders best get on with it if you want to show up Mr. Lupin.”

Remus sat on a nearby desk and watched as the others tried to summon their own Patronuses. In that moment, all his competitiveness and latent frustration at his own magical ability faded away. The only thing that mattered was the silver wolf weaving around the room and loping upward, as if it would break through the ceiling and run straight for the sky.


	2. Wormtail

Peter was anxious. Well, he was often anxious, but this was the type that came whenever a particularly difficult lesson was coming up and he knew the other Marauders would breeze through it easily. The Patronus charm was infamous among fifth years: those who could cast it were cool, those who couldn’t were not, and those who cast full corporeal Patronuses were legends. Peter Pettigrew did not want to be the uncool one among legends.

He knew Remus had been slipping out to practice on Wednesday nights, and that James had fallen asleep on his Defense Against the Dark Arts textbook after studying Patronuses for three hours straight. Sirius, of course, would get it on the first try because he was _Sirius Black_ and magic was practically his middle name.

Deep down, Peter knew his best friends wouldn’t ditch him over something as trivial as one failed charm, but that didn’t mean he wanted to feel inferior. He had plenty of happy memories to choose from, but none felt strong enough to carry a charm of that magnitude. He didn’t know how to make his brain recall that one special moment.

That is, until he saw Remus summon a faint fog, set his jaw, screw his eyes shut, and say “ _Expecto patronum_!” with enough force that Peter suspected the Azkaban dementors felt it a hundred kilometers away. 

The massive silver wolf that shot out was a bit of a surprise. The class went dead silent for a moment, then erupted with whooping as Remus stared at his wolf like he was having an epiphany. Peter grabbed James and they jumped up and down together, yelling incoherently at the top of their lungs, both full to bursting with pride and excitement.

Something clicked as he saw Remus watching his Patronus lunge toward the ceiling with a mixture of wonder and total calm. Patronuses were fickle things; they were a semi-physical manifestation of a person’s soul, so surface memories would not be sufficient to conjure one. Peter took a deep breath and focused on his wand, feeling his heartbeat in his ears.

A memory floated into his mind and Peter let it fill him up from the inside out. He was crowded around a piece of parchment with the other three Marauders, holding his breath as candlelight flickered over the page. James’ wand tapped the central crease and he said their favorite phrase in a trembling voice. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then black footsteps appeared, names formed in curling letters, and every hidden alcove of Hogwarts was at their fingertips. This map was the product of blood, sweat, and tears, and it _worked_. Somewhere in the eruption of celebratory hugging and screaming, Peter glanced down and saw four sets of bold footprints so close together that he could barely tell them apart: James Potter. Sirius Black. Remus Lupin. Peter Pettigrew.

“ _Expecto patronum_.” Suddenly, the spell was easy. White tendrils curled from his wand and a small rat appeared, sniffing the air and scampering around Peter’s head.

“Pete!” Remus shouted across the classroom. “You did it!”

James lifted him clear off the ground in a hug as Sirius directed _everyone’s_ attention to the newest addition to the room, and for once Peter didn’t mind. His rat—he shouldn’t have been surprised that it was a rat—began to follow the wolf around the room. They were an odd pair, but they glowed with equal light, and Peter wondered how he had ever contemplated being Sorted into any House but Gryffindor, because this was where his friends were. This was home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Comments, kudos, and ideas are always appreciated <3


	3. Padfoot

Sirius was firmly convinced the Patronus charm wouldn’t work for him. After all, none of his family members were able to conjure one—it came from a kind of pure magic that required a truly good person to cast it. None of the Blacks were openly bothered by their inability to summon the beautiful creatures, and many dismissed the charm as a frivolous waste of useful magic.

But, damn it, Sirius was at least going to try.

He didn’t practice, seeing as it probably wouldn’t make a difference, and instead focused on doing other things with his free time. He played Quidditch with James, bothered Remus into helping him study, and planned new mischief with Peter. He might not be able to cast a Patronus, but that didn’t mean he had to stop being happy.

When the day finally arrived and James betted he would be the first to summon a corporeal form, Sirius didn’t even consider accepting the challenge. He was going to attempt to create at least some silver smoke before the class let out, but there was no use working himself into a competitive fervor. He would need all his concentration to prove that his magic was different than his family’s.

The class started and Sirius hung on to their professor’s every word for once. _The memory doesn’t have to be completely happy, but it must be strong_. Yeah, he could work with that.

But when Remus said “ _Expecto patronum_ ” like it was an undeniable fact of life, Sirius’ plan shattered. The wolf howled, Remus’ breath caught, and Sirius felt like crying. _That_ was what a Patronus was supposed to be. Even when the celebration was over, Sirius stared at the timber wolf and its steady eyes, as deep and warm as a fireplace during Christmas. When he looked at the wolf, he saw the core of Remus Lupin and the personification of his magic. It was inviting and fiercely protective, and Sirius knew that nobody could convince him that the Patronus charm was anything less than the most personal piece of magic there was.

A rat joined the wolf soon after, and he saw Peter’s clever, quick spells mingle with Remus’. He wanted to share that with them, to forge that bond of laying part of his soul out for his best friends. Even a single strand of silver light would be enough.

Sirius closed his eyes and exhaled slowly. _Let me prove that my magic is good, that I am good. Let me show them that I’m different_.

And suddenly, he was laughing. Of course he was different than his family. Every day, Sirius made the conscious choice to be different, to rebel, to love. He didn’t know how he had ever doubted himself. The memory came to him, as obvious as anything: he was laying on cool grass by the edge of the Black Lake with James by his side, listening to Remus and Peter snickering their way through Astronomy homework. The stars gleamed high overhead, and he saw his own stand out against the blackness of the night: Sirius, the brightest star in the sky.

His blood was singing. “ _Expecto patronum!_ ”

Something poured out and Sirius opened his eyes to see silver-gray light slowly streaming from his wand until a dog—not just a dog, but _Padfoot_ —appeared in the mist, barking joyfully. It ran through his legs and Sirius almost fell over, but then Remus was there cheering for him and Peter was pointing and the dog was running, _racing_ , to join its friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me writing this and adding the internal Sirius Black redemption arc that I always wanted: Fucking superb you funky little Gryffindor
> 
> This was my favorite chapter so far, so I hope you enjoyed it! Let me know if there are any Marauder fics you'd like to see in the future, or if you want a bonus chapter(s) with Lily and/ or McGonagall! Comments and kudos keep my stories flowing <3


	4. Prongs

The Patronus bet didn’t really matter, but James Potter never passed up an opportunity to compete. He was a little surprised when Remus accepted almost instantly and Sirius didn’t—had they been body-swapped? Surely there was a spell for that—but the challenge was on and he didn’t intend to lose.

James was well-aware that he was naturally gifted at magic, especially Transfiguration, but it felt wrong to brag about something he had no control over. Practical spells were just easy for him to pick up, and he often found himself making the wrist movements for spells he had recently learned whenever he got anxious or bored.

Unfortuantely, the Patronus charm was different than the other complicated spells that James loved, and that fact was brutally apparent when he failed at casting it for weeks leading up to the lesson. Maybe it was because there was no special wand wave that he could practice, or maybe he lacked a memory that was happy enough to summon a corporeal Patronus. Whatever the reason, James needed to fix his issue in four hours or he would lose a bet to Remus Lupin, and that never ended well.

Studying the theory and history of the spell had done absolutely nothing, nor had flailing his wand around and saying the spell in different tones of voice when he snuck out to practice it each Tuesday evening. Surely he wasn’t in need of happy memories—his parents loved him and he had the best friends in the world. What was he missing?

James felt _off_ the second he stepped into the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom. He accidentally tuned out most of what their professor was saying because he couldn’t focus on anything but his own jitters and the bet he was sure to lose. Next to him, Sirius was taking notes and James snapped to attention. If Sirius Black was writing something down, it had to be important.

_ Memory doesn’t have to be all happy, just strong _ . Why did Sirius need a reminder about casting a Patronus? He was an excellent spellcaster and of all of them, Sirius was the most likely to throw himself into learning complicated magic. Then again, James was also one of the top students in the class and look at how well that was turning out for him.

On the first go around, he tried to be totally confident, but it was as uncomfortable as always. Trying to force his magic to work felt like punching himself in the face: useless, mildly painful, and often resulting in making him look ridiculous.

He had no doubt that Remus would be the first of them to succeed. One look at his determination and sheer force of will as they shook hands over breakfast and James knew the bet was won before a single spell had been cast. What he hadn’t been expecting was the rapid succession of Peter, or the looks on their faces when their Patronuses appeared at last. Remus had watched the wolf in awe, and Peter was more relaxed than James had ever seen him. He cheered for them both, then glanced down at his wand.

James thought back to their Halloween trip to Hogsmeade, when Peter told a particularly good joke in The Three Broomsticks that made Remus snort butterbeer out his nose and Sirius laugh so hard he fell off the bench. Even Lily thought it was hilarious, her whole face alight as she turned to James and stole the breath from his lungs. He could feel the memory filling him up and he was _just so close_.

A loud bark broke James’ concentration, but he clung to the memory and the happiness it brought. Up ahead, Sirius’ Patronus was bounding after the wolf and the rat as Remus pumped his fists in the air and Peter pointed to the three silver creatures. Sirius beamed at James, and suddenly he felt completely overwhelmed because that was his best friend in the world and he looked _free_.

And there it was, the final piece. James pictured Sirius’ triumphant face, Remus’ awestruck laughter, Peter’s flushed smile, and Lily’s shining eyes as she watched them celebrate across the room. “ _Expecto patronum_!”

A white shield billowed out from his wand, wobbled for a split second, then solidified into a stag galloping full tilt toward the other three Patronuses. In James’ periphery, he saw a beautiful doe bloom from Lily’s wand in a bright pulse of light and wondered if that connection meant something. After all, the Patronus charm was a powerful kind of magic.

He had no time to dwell on Lily’s doe because Peter, Sirius, and Remus swarmed him as their Patronuses wove and spun overhead, and James couldn’t recall a time he had ever felt happier.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unless people want me to write a chapter for Lily or McGonagall, this is the end! I had so much fun writing this short story and thinking of memories for each Marauder, and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Kudos and comments always encourage me to keep writing, so don't hesitate to leave them! Thanks for reading <3

**Author's Note:**

> I hate to choose favorites but Remus is my favorite and my boy deserves all the happiness. Thanks for reading, and let me know if you want a bonus Lily and/or McGonagall chapter for this story! Comments and kudos are my lifeblood, and I do take requests for Marauder fic ideas.
> 
> Come talk to me on Tumblr at @wayward-demigod-witch (yes, I am slightly embarrassed by it. No, I won’t change it)


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